Get out the bunting for a rare bird sighting

Serendipitously, there were three corn buntings in the wheat stubble this morning; “corn” being a British English synonym for wheat. These were the first Emberiza calandra I have seen for several years. On the eye they rather lack distinction, resembling a somewhat streaky sparrow, but their camouflage beigeness is not the reason for my lack of sightings: the number of corn buntings has fallen off the perch, with the bird suffering a 90 per cent decline since the 1970s. There are areas where the bird has become extinct.

One significant reason for the corn bunting’s demise is the decrease in overwinter stubble (the straw stalks left behind after the combine has passed), which offers protective cover and also “gleanings”. So the strip of stubble behind